Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 118

How Racism Affected Marian Anderson's Vocal Billing

'Marian Anderson was billed as a contralto, the lowest possible female voice, even though she could also sing the high notes of a soprano. "I believed that Marian Anderson was not classified as a soprano is because that would mean that she would be the love interest of a white counterpart, which was not accepted at all at the time," said opera singer Denyce Graves.' -- American Masters PBS

Afropop Worldwide | I Am The Upsetter: The Sonic Innovation of Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry

'Jamaican record producer Lee "Scratch" Perry is widely celebrated as one of the most important creative figures to emerge in the late-20th century. In I Am The Upsetter: The Sonic Innovation of Lee "Scratch" Perry, producer David Katz, who is Perry's authorized biographer, draws on archive interviews to explore his incredible career, which began in the early 1960s and continued until August 2021, only ending when Perry died, aged 85. One of Bob Marley's most important mentors, Perry's Black Ark studio used substandard equipment, but the innovative work he produced there with Max Romeo, Junior Murvin and others inspired a range of artists active in other genres, including Paul McCartney, The Clash, and The Beastie Boys.'

Author Imani Perry Explores the South to Reveal the Soul of America

'Weaving historical events with personal anecdotes in her new book,  South to America, Imani Perry takes readers on a journey to the past and present of the region – from the Deep South and the Black Belt, to the Gulf Coast and the Sea Islands. She joined All Things Considered host Mary Louise Kelly to talk about what it meant to write the book about her own home, and why the region is so important to comprehend the rest of the nation.'

“Against Alienation” - Lara Sheehi and Stephen Sheehi on their Book Psychoanalysis Under Occupation: Practicing Resistance in Palestine

'In this episode of Millennials Are Killing Capitalism, Lara Sheehi and Stephen Sheehi discuss their  book Psychoanalysis Under Occupation: Practicing Resistance in Palestine.  Their work in this text is heavily influenced by Frantz Fanon and critically engages theories of decoloniality and Liberatory psychoanalysis. It centers the stories and struggles of clinicians and their clients in Palestine.  In this conversation Lara & Stephen talk about the historical relationship between psychoanalysis and colonialism, and how power relations and epistemology structure those relations.'

The Limits with Jay Williams: Gabrielle Union Finally Knows What's Important

'It took a long time for Gabrielle Union to realize she had the wrong idea of success in Hollywood. That idea came from growing up in Nebraska, in white spaces, where she often embraced a role as 'the black friend.' But in Hollywood she grew to reject those roles. Now her priorities are her own, and she's learned hard lessons about what to pay attention to — and what to ignore. In this episode of The Limits, Union tells Jay Williams how she learned to stand up for herself, why 'balance' is a myth, about her journey with surrogacy, and how she and her husband — former NBA star Dwayne Wade — overcame a turbulent time in their relationship.'

Destin Jenkins on Municipal Debt and Bondholder Power

'A Wall Street Journal article, citing Federal Reserve data, noted that municipal bond funds now hold an unprecedented 24% of outstanding debt compared with 16% five years ago. Buoyed by pandemic stimulus funds, state and local governments issued $302.3 billion of debt in 2021, the most in over a decade. More than the amount of municipal debt, the contemporary situation reflects the substantial power of investors and bonds’ brokers, whose decisions and actions have been shown to have far-reaching consequences for cities and the people who live in them. How did we get here? It’s a question at the center of Destin Jenkins’ new book on the history of municipal finance and bondholder power. Focusing on San Francisco, Jenkins, traces the evolving relationship between cities, bondholders, banks, and municipal debt from the Great Depression to the 1980s. In doing so, Jenkins offers a new framework for understanding inequality within and between cities and their financiers, one with important implications for the Bay Area and the larger indebted world.' -- Who Makes Cents

One Hundred: The Ed Gordon Podcast with Dionne Warwick

Alexis Franklin

'On this episode of One Hundred, host Ed Gordon with legendary singer Dionne Warwick. They talk about her remarkable 60-year career, her musical marriage with the great writing/producing team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and how social media has brought about a resurgence in popularity among a new generation of fans.'

'Corporate-sanctioned Racism'? How War on Critical Race Theory Spread from Schools to Big Business

'America's culture wars have come to cubicles and corner offices across the country. From critical articles in right-leaning publications to legislation in statehouses, conservatives are taking aim at how racism is taught, not just in schools but in private companies.'

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: LAZARUS by Rennie Harris

'In the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s first two-act ballet, acclaimed Hiphop choreographer Rennie Harris—whose work includes past favorites Exodus and Home—is inspired by the life and legacy of Alvin Ailey. With Lazarus, Harris connects past and present in a powerful work that addresses the racial inequities America faced when Mr. Ailey founded this company in 1958 and still faces today. Video by Logical Chaos Original Composition and Sound Design for 'Lazarus' by Darrin Ross.'

Bobby McFerrin Reflects on Going from the Hotel Bar to Prescribing 'Medicine Music'

'Bobby McFerrin was onto something when he titled his second album The Voice. At the time, in the mid-1980s, it was a sobriquet more readily associated with Frank Sinatra — but in its definitive clarity, loaded with implications, no term could have been better suited to his art. McFerrin made history with that release, a solo-vox tour de force, and later eclipsed his own feat with Simple Pleasures, which yielded a No. 1 single and three Grammy awards. Speaking with Jazz Night in America host, Christian McBride, McFerrin recalls the precise moment he realized he was a singer; remembers a formative encounter with the Miles Davis band and reflects on his inspiring musical relationships with cellist Yo-Yo Ma and the late pianist Chick Corea. We'll hear music from across his chameleonic career, ranging from Mozart to Cream. And we'll consider some of the advice he lives by: that "the stage is a platform for adventure".'